Desktop GIS Software

This link will direct you to the UIUC Software web store for Illinois faculty, staff, and students. It is the most common commercial GIS software on the market. ArcGIS is used for creating and using maps, compiling geographic data, analyzing mapped information, sharing and discovering geographic information, using maps and geographic information in a range of applications, and managing geographic information in a database.

Created for Mac, Cartographica allows users to create maps, analyze data, and convert data between formats. Its design emphasizes usability, and is one of the few GIS software options that was made for macOS.

DIVA-GIS is a free computer program for mapping and geographic data analysis. It also provides free spatial data, and emphasizes mapping and analyzing biodiversity data with their program. It can also read and write standard data formats, such as ESRI shapefiles.

GRASS (Geographic Resources Analysis Support System) is a free and open source GIS software suite used for geospatial data management and analysis, image processing, graphics and maps production, spatial modeling, and visualization. It is a founding member of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo).

MapServer is an Open Source platform for publishing spatial data and interactive mapping applications to the web. MapServer is released under an MIT-style license, and runs on all major platforms (Windows, Linux, Mac OS X). MapServer is not a full-featured GIS system.

Mobile GIS Software

ArcGIS mobile is a simple application that allows people to use mapping, spatial query, sketching, GPS integration, and GIS editing. No prior GIS experience is necessary to use ArcGIS for Window Mobile.